Arrival of the egg laying chicken

My neighbor offered me her 6 chicken and nesting boxes and metal waterer for a reasonable price and, because of the age and size difference between her mature egg laying chicken and my youngsters, I built a second chicken coop to receive them as well as a separate fenced outdoor exercise and grazing area.

I refurbished a horse stall into a chicken coop using scrap lumber and wire fence leftovers.  I used screws rather than nails since it is easier to undo a mistake with screws and screws, altho’ costlier, hold better than nails.  My preference for the lighter joints was “star drive” screws to “phillips” screws because turning power is better, and for the heavier joints I used hex lag screws and occasional bolts and nuts.  To secure the metal sheeting to the sides I used hex metal roofing/siding screws.

Chicken coop construction

I worked from the ground up –

• first dug trenches for implanting narrow cinder blocks to thwart tunnel attacks;
• along the downhill sloping side laid surplus 4 ft wire fence on the exterior ground surface anchored by flat rocks and 10″ tent pins to also deter tunnelers;
• framed the sides and roof with old but solid 2″ x 6″ and 2″ x 4″ lumber assortments;
• secured surplus green roof sheeting to the sides to waist height;
• used surplus fence wire (welded or woven) to close in the sides and the “courtyard” roof;
• a battered front door was recycled to become the chicken coop entrance;
• a partition using wood and sheet metal scraps was constructed between the roofed in area and the courtyard;
• a tree limb secured by lag bolts to the sides became a roosting perch;
• a plank with screwed on footholds became the stairway to the chicken roosting perch; and
• finally the nesting box and the metal waterer were installed and thechicken introduced to their new home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To acclimatize the new residents, treats were provided.